The Apprentice Who Made Me a Master
by The Mushroom Fairy
Summary: Luc goes to compete in a prestigious competition, then falls prey to the wily charms of his greatest foe and rival. Story updated; formatting fixed.
1. I

A/N: _As in all my fics featuring this pairing, Luc and Sasarai are of NO relation._  
  
**I.**

I frowned at Lady Leknaat, thankful that the magician was blind and couldn't see the look I was giving her. "Lady... You want me to go _where_?"

"Harmonia," the sorceress said again, calmly sipping her hot tea. "You've been my apprentice for seven long years, Luc. I believe it's time for you to go out into the world and prove what you've accomplished. Think of it as a field trip." The ageless woman laughed cheerily.I tried to control my emotions, while desperately seeking some excuse not to go. "It's almost time for the Astral Conclusions to be presented again. Don't you need help?""Oh, I think I can handle it," the lady smiled. "It won't kill the soldiers to walk, for once." She was referring to the way I had to teleport visitors from the castle using my wind rune, since the castle on Magician's Island was nothing but a spiraling staircase leading to the upper chambers where Leknaat and I, as her apprentice, live and work. All those stories could be tiring to the mortals, so my magic _did_ come in handy for those whose time was too precious to waste climbing a mountain of stairs."I mean...don't you need my protection?" I begged. "I'm the one who tests the visitors--to make sure they're who they say they are," I added quickly. Often, I'd sent monsters out to attack curious people who came near the island. And that wasn't always for the protection of the lady so much as for my own amusement. Unfortunately, Lady Leknaat knew that, too.Leknaat made a wry face. "I think we'll all be fine without you for a couple weeks.""A couple weeks?!" I cried in astonishment. "Lady--! You're not serious!""Absolutely. Honestly, Luc, one should think you'd be glad to get out into the world every now and then." She wasn't giving me a choice, I realized. I had to go, no matter what. "Don't be so disgruntled, Luc," the lady soothed, sensing my tension. "All apprentice magicians are expected to compete in the Magician's Tournament. I think you'll do well."

- LATER -

"But why does it have to be in Harmonia?" I was grumbling to myself now, alone in my room as I packed. I had no desire to return to that land. I had left for good reason, and did not wish to go back in this lifetime, if at all. But this was nothing I could explain to her ladyship. Besides, her reasons were just as founded as mine, if not more so. I was, after all, twenty years of age, a man now, and it was time for me to do some field training. True, any worthy apprentice should be glad to compete in the Magician's Tournament, to not only show off their own skills, but to bring glory to their masters. Lady Leknaat certainly deserved to be known for her talent. I often wondered why she hid away on the lonely Magician's Island, where no boat could breach its treacherous waters, and no one came to visit. Was she happy? She certainly never appeared to be _un_happy. She was, and I suppose always will be, simply Lady Leknaat, younger sister to Imperial Court Magician Windy.Ah! Windy! Now there was a lady to behold. While she entertained royalty, her younger sibling sat alone in a monstrous castle studying the stars. What had led her to this place? Was fate so cruel to one sibling, and so benevolent to another? Was Leknaat not jealous? Of course she wasn't. She was as apathetical to that as anything else; what mattered to her was keeping the fates in balance. I had to admit, it was an immense responsibility. And to take on an apprentice as well? Truly, Lady Leknaat is a great magician.I kept telling myself these things, to prove to my own self the importance of appearing worthy before the Board of Wizards. Besides, being in possession of a True Rune would help me show my skills to their fullest. And, hopefully, I would bring home some prize to display at my master's castle. Lady Leknaat has an entire room dedicated to her trophies, won when she was still an apprentice to the sorcerer Crowley."Luc, have you prepared?"Lady Leknaat's voice was calling me from the hallway. She had stepped back from my doorway, supposedly in case I was undressed. I didn't see why it should matter; she's blind. But such actions of hers... they often made me wonder."Yes, Lady. Please come in."The sorceress stepped gracefully into the room. Her hood was thrown back, letting her graying raven hair cascade to the floor, and her lips were smiling. She was carrying a small black box with a lock of silver. She held it out for me. "...Lady?""It is a gift," she said softly.I looked up at her eyelids, closed as usual, and was grateful once again that she could not see me, for my own eyes were welling with tears. "...Lady..."She laughed a little. "Don't be so sentimental, Luc. You'll be back in two weeks and we'll be always as we were, though perhaps a bit more confident--should it be possible." She was joking, of course. I know I'm often very proud and haughty, especially towards guests, should we actually have any to visit. I felt I had good reason, though, and her ladyship only encouraged me by telling me so often how gifted I am. Still, at times she had to also threaten me for using my magic for tricks and teasing the Imperials. Who do they think they are, though? I'm the one with the magic powers. How can physical strength compare?"Open it," she commanded.I examined the mysterious lock. There was no place for a key. _A test_, I realized. Would my rune...? No; that wouldn't work. She was trying to show me that the rune was not my only strength. Part of my magic, at least, would have to come from within. I concentrated my energy, focusing not on the lock itself, as one might expect, but on the box. If I could imagine myself in the box, opening it to escape, I could easily open the lock. By concentrating on the lock, I would only jam it and become trapped within. It was a simple test, but if one was in a hurry and didn't stop to think it through logically, the puzzle would never be solved.I smiled in triumph as, a moment later, the lid popped open. I ignored the contents, instead craving praise from my master. She did not leave me wanting.

"Excellent!" she said with a wide smile. "Yes, Luc, you will do very well. Take this gift, with my well- wishes."

I looked down then at the box in my hands, and gasped. Inside the chest, on a bed of black velvet, was a glittering headband. The material was sea-green satin, the jewel a large crystal. "Lady...!" I breathed.She smiled slightly. "Allow me," she said, holding out a palm.I gave her a look. She was blind, after all. But I did not wish to offend her by refusing after she'd given me such an opulent present. I obeyed without question, gingerly lifting the jeweled headband and placing it in the lady's palm, then turned my back to her.  
I watched in the vanity mirror across the room as the enchantress's magical fingers laid the stone upon my forehead, perfectly centered, and clasped it in the back beneath my long brown hair. I raised my fingertips slowly to touch the crystal. "Thank you, Lady," I said very quietly."Let this bring you luck," she said in my ear. "And may you return in triumph, my worthy apprentice." 


	2. II

**II.**

Harmonia was just as I remembered it from my vague childhood memories. Birds singing, flowers blooming, a perfect blue sky... It was as its name implied: harmonious. It was holy.

The tournament was still two weeks away, but competitors had to attend many classes and safety briefings, to brush up old skills and make sure we understood and obeyed the rules to the letter. Of course, if rules were broken, we could be disqualified...or worse, depending on the degree of the offense. I didn't plan on breaking any rules. Provided...HE...didn't _make _me.Oh, yes; I still quite vividly remembered my old school rival, Sasarai. I wondered what had become of him? Probably studying black arts with some dark wizard, waiting for the day when he could finish what he'd started with me all those years ago.  
We were twelve then. Since we'd met, when we were probably about eight years old--my! has it been so long?--we'd developed a growing distaste for one another, bordering on hatred. Finally, that hate had come to blows. Two novice magicians can do more damage than two master magicians, you may have heard. It's quite true. We burned down an inn and two barns before we finished, and in the end harsh words were spoken (with many a curse) and we'd parted ways that night for what I'd hoped would be forever. Now, at my master's order, here I was back in Harmonia, where my life had never been anything but discord."Yes, my old foe," I murmured to myself. "I remember you, and I'll bet you remember me as well." But what if he didn't? Wouldn't that be much better? I almost laughed aloud at myself. Was I afraid? No, merely nervous. I'd waited all this time, studying my damnedest, only to prove myself more skilled than he. But was I? Would I be ready to put that power to the test?

Now I did laugh. I was being ridiculously silly. There was no reason for me to believe that Sasarai would remember me, or that he would even be in this city still yet, waiting. Or...was there?

A crowd was gathering on the lawn inside the school gates, and I winced as I watched a fruity-looking girl in pink wave a wand at her cat. Unfortunately, she caught me looking, and I'm afraid she got the wrong idea. I looked away quickly, hoping not to attract further attention. I'm young, but old enough to know that the world of women holds no interest for me. If a man or boy even my age felt no attraction to a lovely woman such as Lady Leknaat, he would have no choice but to accept the truth.It was too late. The girl had made the mistake I feared, and was at my side in an instant. "Haven't seen you here before," she chirped, and I looked up. Her small, cute face was sprinkled with freckles, her long hair pulled up into a high ponytail. "I'm Meg," she said, holding out her hand. Unfortunately, her wand was still clenched in her grasp.There was a burst of light, and I flinched as the wand hummed. Apparently, she'd forgotten she was holding it. I moved just in time. A split second later, the grass on the spot where I'd been standing went up in smoke."Oops!" she cried, fumbling with her fairy stick and turning beet red. She could have walked away then, embarrassed and humiliated as she was, but she stood her ground and transferred the wand to her other hand before reaching out again to shake.An admirable exploit, but a true lady would know better. I was hardly impressed. Reluctantly, I let her take my hand, and she gave it a firm shake. "Meg," she said again. "And that's Mina." She pointed to her cat, who didn't seem nearly so surprised as I about the little earth-destroying incident."...Luc," I said slowly, still not wanting to be friendly with this dangerous little girl."What do you do?" she asked."..._Do?_""I'm a trickster!" she said proudly. "My Uncle Juppo taught me everything I know! I'm here to try my hand at some real magic, though. What kind of magic do you do? Who's your master? Mine's my uncle, Juppo.""You said that already," I complained, trying to back away. She kept coming at me."Well, he's really good, y'know? Kind of famous, so he says. Anyway, about your magic--what do you do?"

"Um..."

"What is that thing on your forehead?" she interrupted. "Can I touch it?""Wind rune, show your power!" I said quickly. I vanished.Okay, okay. So maybe what happened next is my just desserts for using magic freely like that on school property--forbidden act that it was. However, I was being smothered and in such a bind, I'd felt I had no choice. Besides, no one had exactly told us not to use magic yet, though I knew better. Still...at the time it had seemed the only choice I'd had.I reappeared across the lawn where there was no one about--well, almost no one. I had failed to foresee that just around the corner of the building, someone was walking towards the gathered apprentices."Oof!"At the exact moment I teleported to the far side of the school, a young man walked into that very spot. We collided inevitably, and fell to the grass in a tangle of limbs."Oh, dear me! How clumsy!" I tried to apologize, while trying to hide the fact that I'd already broken a tournament rule in my first five minutes on campus. I was on top of someone I'd already determined by his slight cry was a young man, and I struggled to climb off of his robed form. The clean, white apparel made me fear that I'd unwittingly tripped over a master--perhaps even one of the judges from the Wizard's Board!The young man beneath me merely laughed. "My fault," he apologized back.Somehow I managed to get off of him, my face redder than that silly girl's had been, and we struggled to our feet. I looked down as he brushed off his garb, stooping to retrieve his hat for him."Thank you," he said as I handed his article back."Oh, it's the least I could--do..." My voice trailed off as I looked up, gazing into the beautiful eyes of a memory.The boy standing there facing me was Sasarai. 


	3. III

**III.**

"Oh my word!" my old rival cried, a hand flying to his mouth. "...Luc?"Yes, there could be no mistake. "_Sasarai_." I couldn't hide the icy chill in my tone.He didn't seem to notice. "My gosh, it's been--years!""Eight, to be exact," I said coldly."Really? Well, I'd like to say you haven't aged a day, but...Luc! You've grown up."I felt my face getting even hotter under his intense appraisal. "So have you," I muttered, not wanting to admit it. He looked...incredible. I was shocked to find how attracted I was to him, so I looked away, on fire. He wasn't a bullying little boy anymore, or so it seemed."Are you here for the tournament?" he asked the obvious.Before I came up with something smart to say, I saw one of the _real _board members calling for order among the assembled apprentices."I...guess we'd better go," I mumbled, not waiting to see if he followed or not as I returned to the crowded lawn."Attention! Attention!" A hush fell over the breathless group. "This is not playtime for the kiddies," the stern-faced sorcerer said in a booming voice. "You'll be assigned to rooms as soon as we finish with the initial briefing to go over rules. Follow me, please."I'd managed to separate myself from Sasarai. I didn't turn to see him, but, as I had all those years ago, I could feel him near me. I waited in the back of the throng as the others pressed ahead. Sasarai appeared to be searching for something in the crowd--perhaps for me--but eventually just went along with the others into the old stone fortress.The next hour seemed to drag on intolerably. I already knew all about the Tournament rules. In my early teen years, I'd spent much time perusing Lady Leknaat's old manuals and books in an attempt to further my own education. And the lady had, of course, told me stories about her own tournaments and competitions. She'd walked away with the Wizard's Scroll more than once, and eventually grown to be a master. She was asked to join the Wizard's Board, but she felt her calling was elsewhere, and soon became the next Seer, working for the Empire to read the stars and record the Astral Conclusions.I let my mind wander as the board member droned on. At last his speech ended, and we were grouped into lines as something new began. I wished I'd been paying a bit more attention--at least to that last part, but the crowd was too silent for me to dare risking even a whisper in question. I wondered if we were being split up to go to the dormitories now, but it certainly didn't appear that way, unless things had changed since the lady's time; we weren't grouped by genders or anything, the lines just seemed to go by the rows we were seated in. When the masters brought out wooden crates, however, I knew what was up. They were taking our magic aids.I groaned inwardly. _So this is what Leknaat was trying to prepare me for_, I thought miserably. I watched with a frown as one by one, each apprentice dropped his or her utility into the boxes the masters were carrying. In went various objects: rings, runes, amulets and armlets. I saw Meg across the wide room, tears streaming down her face as she reluctantly parted with her wand."Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said, drop it in the box!"I looked up with a start, jumping to attention before the grim-faced man in front of me. "S-sorry, Sir," I stuttered, feeling like a fool. That was twice I'd let that blasted girl distract me, but I couldn't help feeling bad for her. Looking down at the rune on my hand, I whispered an incantation, then closed my eyes at the brilliant light that burst from my rune hand. The rune fell loose, and I held it for a moment before dropping it into the crate. "I...I'll get that back, right?"The master was looking at me strangely. He reached down into the box and picked up the rune I'd just dropped. "A...True Rune...!" he breathed. "Who is your master?" he demanded."Lady Leknaat the Seer," I replied instantly. I need not hesitate; nothing to be ashamed of, there."I see." He paused, an eyebrow raised almost skeptically. "Well?""...Well?" I repeated, trying unsuccessfully to not sound too impertinent."The other rune," he prompted.I gave him a look. "What _other_ rune?""The one in the middle of your forehead, fool!" he said loudly. Heads turned.From the corner of my eye, I saw that even Sasarai (why wasn't he in line?) turning to look."This isn't a rune," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "It w-was a g-g-gift.""From the Seer?" he sneered.Suddenly I realized that perhaps this man had not even believed my story. Lady Leknaat had quite a reputation, I was sure. Maybe the younger generation of masters even thought she was a mere myth."Give it up!" he yelled.My face was burning, as much from anger as from embarrassment. I'd been called many a name and received many a curse in my young life, but never had I been accused of lying, which is exactly how I felt I was being treated. Like a liar.However, I had no wish to disgrace the lady. _I'll show them_, I thought angrily, reaching behind my head to unclasp the jeweled band. I let it drop easily into the basket. Before the scoffing master could step to the next young apprentice in line, however, I stayed him by saying, "You didn't answer my question.""...What." He was furious. Not even asking. Growling."Will my rune and headpiece be returned once the tournament is ended?" I asked for the second time, vowing I would not ask a third.He only laughed at me. I followed him with my eyes as he walked right on by to the next student in line. I was too angry to speak. I knew better than to lash out in anger, though it took every ounce of my strength to hold back the harsh words and barrage of spells coming to mind. The lady had taught me well.At length, everyone was stripped, so to speak. Most people seemed to have expected it, but a few, such as Meg and myself, were rather indignant and upset by the competition's strict rules. After the masters had carried away their crates, the man who'd given the briefing said it was time to split us up into our dorms. We were to be separated by the sexes, then broken down into groups of four into individual rooms, where one individual of each would become our bunk mate. I frowned in distaste at the very idea of sleeping in a bunk, all sorts of nasty images coming to mind of how a military barracks room must look. And four persons per room? Outrageous!

The master went on to explain that each floor would be controlled by an assistant of one master or another. I felt this whole thing was incredibly childish and unnecessary. I was beginning to wish I'd never come, that the lady had never brought it up. There would, however, be a lesson learned here, that much I knew. Lady Leknaat has her reasons for everything she does, and if she sent me here to compete, it was for a reason. Perhaps I would grace her ladyship with a Scroll, glorify her name. Perhaps I would be made a fool, and return home to redouble my efforts. Either way, I felt sure Leknaat the Seer had seen something in the stars to bring me to this awful place.

Next, the males were sent to one side of the room, and females to the other. To be fair, the master said, we were to draw a block of wood from buckets being passed around. The number and letter displayed on the face of the small chip would tell us where we would be rooming. Apparently, the rooms with the master assistants were supposed to be nicer. How, I couldn't possibly imagine.The bucket finally made its way over to me. I stuck my hand into its depths apathetically. When I withdrew my hand, however, the boy who had chosen before I had let out a low whistle. I looked at him.He caught my confused expression as my gaze flickered between the piece of wood in my hand to the boy himself, an unspoken question in my eyes. "Oh, you don't want that one," he said quickly. He held up his block to me. "Trade ya."I stared at him."Wouldn't want a new guy like you to get stuck with that," he said, as if that explained everything.I looked down at my own lot. "What are you talking ab--""Excuse me, Mr. Seer's Apprentice," the master from before sneered at me. I looked up at his bearded face in apprehension. "Trading lots is not permitted, as you were told before.""I wasn't--""Let me see what you've got!" He quickly ripped away my chip, and looked at it thoughtfully, obviously surprised. I was getting tired of these games. I wished again I'd been listening more closely to what the masters were saying. "Did you give this to him, Hal?"The boy next to me (he was quite unattractive, I suddenly decided) looked down and shook his head. "No, Master Macoreth."Without another word, the master (_so the bastard's name is Macoreth_, I mused) shoved the piece back into my palm and moved on, his hands clasped behind his back authoritatively.I cast a death look at my companion, but he turned away, without so much as the decency to blush. Had he been intentionally trying to get me into trouble for his own amusement? It was plain to see that Macoreth had something against me already. I wondered.Next we gathered into groups with our roommates. The blocks were all colored differently, I saw, and labeled with numbers and alphabet letters. I listened as the other men called out, "Green! Who's got a green one?" "I'm a C'." "Number twenty-five here; what's yours?" No one else seemed to have the same markings as me. I was beginning to feel more than a little left out, and worried about that. Did my lot mean I'd be sleeping on the kitchen hearth like that silly girl in the story I'd read in one of Leknaat's books, the girl called "Cinders"?

"Ah! There you are! I was looking for you."

I looked up, grateful to have a companion now, but my face fell when I saw it was none other than Sasarai. "...I--""Let me see. Yes! Just as I thought!" the boy cried, taking my chip into his own hands. "S-14. That means you're with me!""And who else?" I asked suspiciously.He shrugged. "What do you mean, _'who else'_?Don't you know? The S' stands for 'assistant'. I'm the assistant for your floor, so you and I get one of the rooms all to ourselves!" 


	4. IV

**IV.**

"What are you saying?" I asked, standing there like I'd just been struck by a lightning spell.

He laughed at me, but not unkindly. "Assistants are _privileged_," he winked and smiled, taking my suitcase out of my arms. "Come on, then! Let's go up to our room."

I had no choice but to follow. I walked behind him up the stairs along with the other boys. We went to the second floor while half of our companions went on to the third, and then we turned left down a long corridor.

"Fourteen...fourteen..." Sasarai was mumbling. "Ah! Here it is! Halfway down the hall. Convenient..." He took my chip, which he hadn't given back, and slid it into a small slot where the doorknob should have been, and the door popped open. "After you!" he said courteously.

Needless to say, I did not want to turn my back on my foe. It made me nervous that he behaved so cheerily, and I didn't doubt he had some awful plan in store for me. Would he throw water on me in my sleep? Hide my shoes so I'd be late for a briefing? Sabotage me some other way so that I'd lose the tournament? Or worse--push me out the window or suffocate me with a pillow in my sleep?

What choice did I have now, though? I couldn't teleport without my rune, and by now surely everyone knew the no-magic-in-the-building rule. Sasarai was an assistant, so he was the supervisor for our floor. He'd have to report me if I made such an attempt, anyway. I thought I remembered something about "demerits" in Leknaat's old rulebooks, but that might have been a thing of the past. Perhaps once caught using magic these days you were immediately disqualified. Who knows? (Not I, as I had not paid a bit of attention to the briefing.)

Anyway, I didn't really stand in the hall the full ten minutes it felt like. Sasarai did, however, have to give me a shove to get me into the room. It could have been because I seemed so afraid he would stab me in the back, but it also could have been because I couldn't take my eyes off of him...

The room was nothing like I had expected. There was thick carpet under our feet, lavish furniture, and the two full-size beds, standing side-by-side with a dresser in between, were plush, piled high with pillows and thick blankets--not army barracks bunks like I'd expected. There were velvet drapes hung over massive windows (all right...so the floor-to-ceiling glass panes didn't thrill me) and the walls were painted with brilliant roses mingled with gold. A chandelier over our heads would give plenty of light in the night hours when I'd be studying hard for the competition. I was awestruck. It wasn't at all what I'd expected.

Sasarai must have closed the door behind us, but I really didn't hear it shutting. He walked briskly by, almost in a rush to open the curtains even farther. Bright sunlight flooded the room and we beheld a glorious sunset. "That's much better, isn't it?" he asked, turning to look at me.

I wanted to stand closer to the windows, to touch the pane and feel the warmth of the sunlight, to pretend I was out on that distant horizon, but I was too afraid of my roommate to get any closer to him than I was. Instead I said merely, "It's...gorgeous."

He smiled warmly at my comment. I think we had somehow surprised each other. He'd carried my bag like a true gentleman, and I'd gone and said something queer like "gorgeous." We laughed a little nervously. _God, what he must be thinking of me..._

"What do you think?" he asked, coming closer.

"...About what?" I asked, my thoughts a little muffled.

He laughed softly, standing now so close to me...

"About the room, Luc."

My name on his lips....

His lips...

"It's...much better than I expected," I mumbled, tearing my gaze away. "Are the other rooms this nice?"

"A bit more cramped, since they've got bunks, but almost." He was looking at me with his head cocked to the side. I wished I knew what he was thinking. Hopefully he wasn't planning my demise. "We've got a lot of catching up to do," he said thoughtfully. "But first, you should rest. We've got almost three hours before dinner, and I'll bet you're exhausted from the trip. I'll unpack your things for you, if you like." He went to retrieve my case where I'd left it next to the door.

_Why are you doing this?_ I wanted to scream at him. _Why are you being so nice? Why are you helping me? Don't you hate me? Don't you want to get back at me? Don't you know I hate you? Don't you know how long I've waited to come back here, to prove once and for all who the greater magician is?_ But I'd been afraid to come back. I was hiding from him. I was still hiding.

"You don't have to," I said to his back.

"I don't mind. Get some sleep."

"Why don't _you_ want to rest?" I asked distrustfully.

He laughed at me. "I live here--in Harmonia, I mean. For me, it was just a walk down the block. And I brought my things here yesterday, so there's nothing left for me to unpack."

"Oh," I said. I knew I'd sounded foolish, and there was no reason to treat him like an enemy. We'd been apart so long, why did I feel it was impossible that he could have changed? I sighed, then turned and walked over to the beds. "Which...?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Choose whichever you prefer. You might like the window side, though. The cool breeze in the evenings is nice, as is the sound of crickets chirping."

"You've done this before?"

"This is my third year."

I barely kept myself from gasping. "You mean you've been a master magician for three years?!"

"What?" He looked up at me from where he was placing my clothes into drawers. "Goodness, no, Luc! I'm not a magician at all. I've been inducted into the priesthood. I live in the cathedral monastery down the street. Masters just take on trustworthy men and women to help keep order here at the tournament. You know, people who are unbiased and who have a sense for the extraordinary. The judges have enough to worry about without running around trying to catch cheaters, and stop fights, and... You get the picture."

"I think I understand," I said. "So...you're not competing?"

"No," he said with a smile, amused at my question. "I've had almost no magic training."

"But...but when we were younger, didn't you and I--?"

"I hope you don't think a few memorized verses from a witch's spellbook made me a professional magicician," he laughed. "Not at all. You're not still...dwelling on THAT, are you?" He gazed at me with questioning, hopeful eyes.

"No," I said with a smile slowly spreading across my own face. "Not at all."

"Oh, good!" he said with a relieved sigh. "You didn't seem too happy to see me."

I began undressing. "Oh? Sorry. I was just...surprised, I guess."

"No need to apologize," he said with another smile, tactfully averting his gaze to unpack my suitcase. "I was surprised to see you, as well. How fares the Lady Leknaat?"

I widened my eyes in surprise. "You knew?"

"Of course. I was curious about you," he said, then quickly added, "and there was a magician that came through the school last year talking about you."

"Oh, really?" I asked curiously. "Who might that have been?" I was wondering aloud, but he remembered the boy's name.

"He was called Ted."

I thought back. _Ted...Ted..._ I mused. _Ah, yes._ He had come to the lady's castle last year to obtain the Astral Conclusions. I remembered him distinctly, because he was one of those unfortunate visitors who fell into one of my tricks. The memory almost made me laugh.

"Well, you get some rest," Sasarai said, finishing up with my suitcase. "I'll go see how the other boys are settling. I'll be back to call you for dinner."

With that he was gone. My suspicion returned. He was being...too nice. Why should he? Even if what he said was true, that he knew little magic, that he had entered the priesthood, was that any reason to give up vengeance? We'd sworn to get even one day, to finish what we'd started. I hadn't forgotten my oath, and I doubted that he had, either. He was trying to trick me, I decided, by being so friendly, by carrying my bag and unpacking it, by offering me the best choice in beds, by telling me lies.

I drew back the covers of the bed, delighted to find satiny sheets that almost compared to the finery I was used to in Leknaat's castle back on Magician's Island. Then I crawled underneath the soft blankets.

I was, of course, lying in the bed farthest from the window.


	5. V

**V.**

Hands around my throat, choking me--

"Gah!" I nearly screamed, flinging my arms wildly.

"Hey, hey! Watch out!" Sasarai cried.

I sat up in the unfamiliar bed, taking a moment to get a grip on my surroundings. Oh, yeah...the tournament.

_I must have had a nightmare_, I realized, and then almost smacked Sasarai a good one. What was he doing so close to my bed anyway?! Had his hands really been on me?

"Awake now?" my companion asked with a sarcastic smile. "It's time for dinner," he informed me.

I felt exhausted, like I hadn't slept in ages. Must have been some dream...

"Just wear whatever makes you comfortable," Sasarai said. "No need to get formal or anything." He headed for the door.

"You're going downstairs already? Am I late?"

"No. I don't eat with the competitors," he explained. "The masters wouldn't even have us rooming together if it weren't necessary to keep watch and save space." He left me to dress alone then, and I tried to decide whether I liked this arrangement or not. It was kind of nice, having this big room to myself all the time, but still a little lonely. I decided that overall it would be better to be in a quiet environment where I could study, instead of a crowded room full of noisy boys. I wasn't used to noise. Goodness only knows how it would affect my practice.

I dressed quickly, just in case Sasarai had been lying, then walked quickly down the stairs. The dining hall was to the right, I recalled. I was actually pretty early. There couldn't have been more than a handful of magicians in the room. One of them, of course, was Meg.

"Luc!" she cried excitedly when she saw me. "Come sit with me!"

At first I was irritated, but then I thought about how crushed she had been when she'd had to hand over her wand. I told myself I was walking towards her out of pity, but realized that I, too, was a bit lonely.

"Wow! Am I glad to see you!" she cried.

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't know anybody else."

I could have said the same.

"That was weird how you disappeared all of a sudden back there. You had me worried."

I gave her a look. "Worried? About what?"

"Making mistakes this early in the game doesn't make you seem all that experienced," she said with a blush. Probably she was remembering her own blunder. I wasn't about to tell her then that I'd run away on purpose.

"Well," I said, trying to smile back at her, "I won't be doing that again; they took my rune."

"You might have gotten away with it if it hadn't been so obvious on your forehead," she said. "You should have kept it in your pocket."

"That wasn't a rune," I said hotly. "Besides, how can you even suggest cheating?"

She blushed harder. "Um...I didn't mean it that way... I just--"

"Hey, Luc!"

We both looked up, and I caught sight of the boy from earlier, the one who'd almost gotten me busted for swapping rooms. Hal, wasn't it?

The boy slinked closer, and I gave him a dark look. He stopped. "Well, how do you like rooming with the priest?" he sneered.

"I like it just fine," I said, my tone as fake as his was.

"That's good. I'm glad it wasn't me. I mean, I would have traded you--you being new and all--but as long as you're stuck with him, you might as well learn to like it, right?"

Hal was with two other boys, and the three of them snickered at Hal's words like he'd said something terribly funny.

I wasn't amused.

"Sasarai's nice!" Meg defended. "He's been cheering me up all day!"

"Who's this, Luc? Your girlfriend?" one of the other boys laughed.

Meg blushed again.

I felt bad for the girl, and I was getting angry.

"Won't be for long," Hal said. The boys with him cracked up. After that, they went away. I just watched them go, rolling my eyes.

"How childish!" I said.

"They're just stupid boys," Meg said, playing with her food.

I looked at her.

"Not that boys are stupid," she said quickly. "Just...those kinds."

What kinds? I had to wonder. The straight kind? I'd had little contact with boys my age. They seemed too immature for my tastes, no matter how attractive. Hal was no exception. I knew by now that if I ever had a relationship with a man--the kind I fantasized about--then I would have to find someone a lot older. I can't stand children. Or men who behave like them.

"...Are you okay? Did I make you mad?"

I hadn't realized I'd been making a face and playing with my own food. "No; you didn't say anything wrong," I told her. "You're absolutely right. Those boys are jerks. Don't listen to them."

She opened her mouth as though to say something, but then closed it for once, another blush creeping to her face.

When we'd finished eating and gone our separate ways, I had to wonder just why she was acting so shy around me all of a sudden.

I went back to my room yawning. Some of the other boys were downstairs to the left, in the rec room, enjoying their last night of freedom and camaraderie. In the morning we'd all be enemies again, competing for the highest honor an apprentice could receive. I wondered if this game was going to get as ugly as I feared. Probably, if Hal and his crew were any indication. I wasn't looking forward to any more run-ins with my peers, but as long as Sasarai kept his distance for the time-being, I was sure I would do well.

When I got back to the room, Sasarai was already there. I couldn't tell whether I was disappointed or relieved. It was, at any rate, good to know that he wouldn't be sneaking up on me in my sleep like that again. I had to wonder if he'd really had his hands around my throat, or if it had just been a dream after all.

Sasarai was sitting on the sofa, reading something. I got closer, and saw that he held a religious book in his lap.

He looked up when he saw me. "How was dinner?" he asked.

"Fine," I said vaguely. I didn't want to get friendly with him, not when he might still be my foe, which was the likely case. He'd always been very sneaky.

"That's good," he said with a yawn.

I yawned in response. I couldn't help it. I swear it's contagious.

"Looks like we're both ready for bed!" he said with a soft laugh.

For once I had to agree. We turned our heads and undressed, and I headed for the bed I'd chosen earlier. It was a bit warm in the room, and I began thinking how nice it would be to sleep next to the breeze and listen to the crickets chirping, but I knew that I couldn't ask to trade now. Besides, I didn't fully trust the man who had once been my boyhood mortal enemy.

I started for my covers, but he stayed me with a hand on my shoulder. "Just one moment," he said softly. "I have something for you."

He turned his back to me, digging through the dresser to uncover something. "What is it?" I asked apprehensively.

"I believe," he said, holding something clenched in his fist, "this belongs to you."

I held out my hand, slowly opening my palm. As he handed me the item, he smiled. His hand lingered just a moment too long. He stepped back and went to his own bed, crawling beneath the covers.

It took me a moment to regain my composure before I, too, climbed into bed. I was the one who turned out the lamp.

I slipped the headpiece Lady Leknaat had given me under my pillow.


	6. VI

**VI.**

"Time to get up!"

I was awakened early the next morning by Sasarai's cheery sing-song voice. It was almost pleasant to my ears, but I gave myself a pinch as a reminder of just who was in the room with me. I'd have to be more careful if I didn't want to get snuck up on in the middle of the night!

I stretched, keeping an eye on him as he went to open the drapes and let the sunshine in. Incidentally, my hand brushed against the headpiece Leknaat had given me. I sat up in the bed, holding the jewel in my hand. I wanted to say something to him, since I'd been unable to the night before, but... _Well, the hell with it_, I decided. _If he's still out to get me, he can just have me!_ He'd been really nice up to this point, but this last act was crumbling that wall that I was struggling so futilely to build up against him.

Clearing my throat as Sasarai crossed the room, I murmured, "...Thanks."

He stopped in his tracks, spinning to face me. "For what?"

I grinned sheepishly. He wasn't making it easy for me, but I didn't deserve it so I had nothing to complain about. "Thank you, Sasarai, for getting this back for me," I said, a blush creeping to my face.

He smiled so sweetly I wanted to--_ah! No! Stop! Don't think like that--!_

"You're welcome," he said softly.

I slipped it back under my pillow. "Guess it'll have to stay here, though, huh?"

"Oh, not at all," he said. "I had a nice, long talk with Master Macoreth. You can wear this headpiece anywhere you like. But...I would avoid any more confrontations with him if I were you."

I nodded gratefully, and then reached again for the pillow.

"No," he interrupted, coming to my side. "Let me."

I stared at him with wide eyes, my heart racing. He wanted me to turn my back to him? Did I dare to trust him?

_I can't keep getting scared every time he comes near me_, I thought, _or else I'll never get any studying done._ _Or sleeping, for that matter._

I took a deep breath and turned away from him. Sasarai stuck his hand under my pillow and pulled out the jeweled headband. He sat down on the bed just behind me, and draped his arms around my shoulders. Suddenly I began to feel a quite different sort of fear.

Sasarai placed the crystal on my forehead, but it was a little crooked. I reached up to straighten it to the center of my forehead, but he stopped me. "Let me," he said again. I dropped my hand back into my lap. Sasarai's finger brushed along the length of my nose as he got the stone lined up. Then he fastened it behind my head. "Let's go see," he said, climbing off of the bed. He held out his hands for me.

Gulping, I slowly reached out to him.

Sasarai took my hands, and I allowed the sheets to slip away as I stood in my nightclothes and let him lead me to the vanity. There he stood behind me before the mirror, his head to the side so we could look into each other's eyes through the glass; it almost looked as though his head was on my shoulder.

It's been said that Sasarai and I look very much alike. We both have shoulder-length brown hair and lavender eyes, we're both thin and somewhat pale. Looking at us now, though, I saw something else. We were looking at each other with a strange intensity, my jeweled headband nearly forgotten.

Sasarai looked away and slowly came closer, until his body was pressed to my back. He looked back into my eyes as though asking for permission to do this beautiful thing he was doing, this peace offering, and I was too dazed by then to give him a decent answer. So I just stood there and let him do it.

His head finally came to rest on my shoulder as his slender arms slipped around my waist. My arms suddenly felt very long and awkward; I didn't know what to do with them. He was there to guide me. His hand reached down for mine, and placed one over his, then held it there. I wasn't sure if I should bring my free arm up to hold his other hand or not, so I just left it where it was. He was studying my face in the mirror. His lips breathed the word I was thinking when he murmured, "Beautiful..."

My heart was beating so wildly I was sure he could feel it.

He was looking at my forehead. "Did Lady Leknaat give it to you?" he asked quietly.

"Whaaaat...?" Oh, headband. Right. "Y-yes. A good-luck charm," I said quickly.

He nodded against my neck, his hair in mine. He reached up with one free hand to brush some loose hair behind my ear. "It's lovely." He was looking back into my eyes in the mirror. "She's...a beautiful woman, the Seer," he said. "Or so I've heard."

It was a prompt. I've had little interaction with other people, but I'm no fool. He was asking if the lady was anything more than a teacher to me. "So I've heard," I echoed.

He let go of me suddenly, spinning me around to face him so quickly I was frightened. It was exciting, too, though, the way he suddenly grabbed hold of my shoulders so tightly, the way he gazed so intently into my eyes.

"Luc, you must tell me now or I'll never get through the day: do you have any...feelings, for any woman?"

I was shocked by his sudden question, one that mirrored my own. "...I've never felt anything...for any woman," I admitted at last.

He looked relieved. That shook me. I wasn't sure what kind of game he was playing, but I didn't want it to stop.

"Oh, Luc! Would you look at the time!" He thrust me away. "You've got to be in class this morning! You'd better bathe first. I've already had water drawn. Shoo!" He pushed me into the bathroom and slammed the door, and I could have sworn I heard him laughing.


End file.
